Featured Reviews

Although John and Annabel and son Hugo of Porters Pinot are one of
Martinborough’s smallest producers, they have a fine track record going back to
their establishment in 1992. Their first
vineyard was the ‘Old Block’, opposite Palliser Estate on Kitchener Street, now
with 4 ha of vines, and this was added to by the purchase of the 2.4 ha old
Lintz vineyard next to their house in 2009.
This is the ‘House Block’, but may be called ‘Home Block’ from now on. These two sites have provided the Pinot Noir
wines and a smaller amount of Pinot Gris that makes the Porters Pinot range.

The Porters have now introduced a new label named ‘Kereru’
named after the "majestic” native bird, the New Zealand wood pigeon, which, has
begun to return to a block of native bush purchased by the Porters several
years ago. It was formerly used as
grazing land, but is now fenced off and a program of replanting of native
species and forming a wetland has been introduced. Under the ‘Kereru’ brand, the Porters are
making different wines to match the ‘Estate’ wines, and proceeds from the sale
of the Kereru Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir will go to the upkeep ns maintenance of
the block, intended to be preserved for future generations.

Here, I review the inaugural ‘Kereru’ wines, a 2015 Pinot
Gris and a 2014 Pinot Noir, as well as the 2014 ‘Estate’ Pinot Noir. The latter wine is a richer vintage but still
shows a style of beauty that is more feminine as the Porter’s wines usually
are. www.porterspinot.co.nz

FEATURED WINES IN THIS REVIEW

Porters ‘Kereru’ Martinborough Pinot Gris 2015

Pinot Gris from New Zealand – Wairarapa & Wellington

18/20

Bright, light straw-yellow colour, paler on the rim. The nose is firmly packed with deep aromas of
ripe yellow stonefruits with a complex amalgam of savoury yellow florals and
honeysuckle and a layering of nutty and minerally lees elements. Dryish to taste and medium-full bodied, the
palate has good depth of mouthfilling flavours of savoury yellow stonefruits,
showing nuances of honeysuckle and a complex amalgam of nutty lees and
minerals. The fruit forms a fine, grainy
textural heart, with balanced and integrated acidity. This has good palate weight and presence, and
the wine carries to a lingering, full-flavoured finish. This is a dry, full and complex Alsace-style
Pinot Gris with savoury stonefruit flavours and notes of honeysuckle and minerally
lees, on a grainy-textured palate. Match
with poultry, pork and veal, over the next 4 years. Mission clone fruit from the ‘Old Block’ vines,
ungrafted, planted in 1994, cool-fermented in stainless-steel to 13.5% alc. and
7 g/L RS, the wine undergoing batonnage.
18.0/20 Oct 2017 RRP $25.00

Porters ‘Kereru’ Martinborough Pinot Noir 2014

Pinot Noir from New Zealand – Wairarapa & Wellington

17.5-/20

Full, even ruby-red colour with slight garnet hues and some
depth, a little lighter on the rim. The nose
is elegant and moderately deep with good volume, showing red berryfruit aromas
entwined with cinnamon and herb elements and nutty, ceday oak. Medium-full bodied, the palate is elegant and
well-proportioned with deep and sweet red berryfruit flavours melded with an intriguing
cinnamon spice and herb layer, with subtle nutty and cedary oak
suggestions. The palate has fine-grained
tannin extraction providing good underlying structure and grip, with restrained,
lacy acidity lending tension. The wine
flows to a lingering finish with red fruits, spices and oak. This is a well-proportioned, elegant Pinot
Noir with red fruits and distinctive spice and herb notes and subtle cedary oak
on a fine-textured palate. Match with
Middle Easter cuisine, or with duck or lamb dishes over the next 4-5 years. Clones 667, 777 and Abel from the ‘House Block’
vines planted in the early 2000s, fermented partially with indigenous yeasts
and 10% whole bunches to 13.5% alc., the wine aged over 14 months in 20% new
oak. 17.5-/20 Oct 2017
RRP $35.00

Porters Martinborough Pinot Noir 2014

Pinot Noir from New Zealand – Wairarapa & Wellington

18.5/20

Ruby-red colour with some depth and slight garnet hues,
paler on edge. The nose is full and
evenly expressed with bright dark-red cherry and berryfruit aromas and lifted
red florals forming a finely concentrated core unfolding subtle nutty oak nuances. This has aromatic purity and beauty. Medium-full bodied, the palate ha an
elegantly concentrated, rich and sweet heart of vibrant dark-red cherry and
berryfruit, with integrated red floral notes, delicate herb and oak nuances. The mouthfeel is smooth and velvety in
texture with the fruit richness supported by fine-grained tannin extraction and
balanced acidity. The palate is
beautifully balanced and carries to a sweet, sustained, red-fruited
finish. This is an elegantly
concentrated, rich and sweet-fruited Pinot Noir with fine, velvety textures,
showing balance and beauty. Match with
duck and pork dishes over the next 6 years. Fruit from the ‘House Block’ and ‘Old Block’,
fermented partially with indigenous yeasts and 15% whole bunches to 13.5% alc.,
the wine aged over 14 months in 25% new oak.
18.5/20 Oct 2017 RRP $45.00